A non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of all student loan debt through activism, education, and legislation;
because student loan debt is dangerous to the US economy and to the health and well-being of individual Americans and their families.
CRYN JOHANNSEN, Founder & Executive Director

Monday, January 18, 2016

Last week, news outlets and higher education policy circles were abuzz when it was learned that Rohit Chopra, 33, left his previous position as student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to join the Department of Education. Chopra's work as a watchdog against abuses committed by banks and student lenders is well-known. In addition, he has been critical of both the Obama administration and the Department of Education. The news that he has now joined the Department is cause for celebration. I predict that we might actually see tangible policy changes for those of us who carry student loan debt, and changes that are big and meaningful and not just for show. He's a proven ally of borrowers. As was noted in an email to the Washington Post, CFPB Director Richard Cordray had this to say about Chopra's work: "Rohit Chopra has shined a spotlight on the problems facing millions of student loan borrowers as well as the broader impact of their struggle on our economy . . . His work is respected among policymakers, advocates, and industry. Rohit is setting the bar high as a strong advocate for student borrowers." Cordray made those comments in June of 2015 (see my links below for the full article and original source).

I look forward to seeing what happens within the Department now that he has joined them. As one of my sources recently told me, "The news that Chopra has joined the Department is very good, perhaps we'll see things shaken up a bit."

AEM will certainly be keeping tabs on Chopra's work there.

Finally, if you're interested, here is a link to Chopra's author archive at the CFPB.

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Cryn Johannsen

Cryn Johannsen, Founder and Executive Director of All Education Matters, Inc., is the author Solving the Student Loan Crisis: Dreams, Diplomas, and a Lifetime of Debt(New Insights Press, 2016; available now on Amazon inpaperback andKindle).

She has spent many years in academic environments, giving her an insider's understanding of the varying forms of educational institutions and how they function. Ms. Johannsen worked for an academic publishing company, but now advocates for individuals who are struggling or unable to pay off their student loan debt on Capitol Hill.

In addition to her previous employment, Ms. Johannsen has been a student at multiple levels at multiple institutions, beginning at a community college, graduating with honors from the University of Kansas, and receiving MAs from both the University of Chicago and Brown University (where she also participated in an exchange scholar program with Harvard). She is an experienced researcher and instructor, and has focused her own education on the study of History and the Social Sciences.

Ms. Johannsen is available to give talks and do workshops on this critical topic.

Ms. Johannsen's book has been reviewed by the New York Review of Books in Rana Foroohar's article "How the Financing of May Lead to Leader." In addition, intellectuals, such as Henry Giroux and Andrew Ross endorsed it.

This blog, All Education Matters, will be digitally archived by the Library of Congress in November of 2017.

About me

Author of Solving the Student Loan Crisis: Dreams, Diplomas & a Lifetime of Debt (New Insights Press) - now available at Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
Founder and Executive Director of All Education Matters(AEM), a 501(c)(4); I am a freelance journalist for The Huffington Post, The Loop 21, and Hypervocal. My work has appeared in USA Today, Truthout.org, The New England Journal of Higher Education, etc.
Recipient of journalism grant from the Economic Hardship and Reporting Project (EHRP) to cover a story about suicides and student loan debt (published by the Huffington Post and on the EHRP site; edited by Barbara Ehrenreich and Garvy Rivlin) - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-cryn-johannsen/student-loan-debt-suicides_b_1638972.html